A Life of Lies
by Kyamh
Summary: Why would anyone think that Harry had any power when his beautiful twin sister is right there to take the fame, glory and attention. Though nothing can explain why it was that people agreed to let Snape keep Harry....eventually this will be DarkerMore int
1. Of Hard Decisions

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October 31, 1981

Albus Dumbledore paced around his office, waiting for the Potters. What he had to do was hard, and he was not at all pleased when he had learned the truth himself. Worriedly he looked over at the fireplace for what was probably the seventeenth time in the past minute. Seeing nothing significant, he resumed wearing a hole in the carpet.

Severus Snape followed the Headmaster with his eyes, also impatient. It was not that he wanted to see his archrival in the flesh more than was necessary. It was strictly out of orders that he was present. He too glanced once more into the fire. Finally, the flames turned Slytherin green, and a figure stepped out with a child in his arms.

"About time," Snape smirked, earning a glare from the black haired man a few feet away.

The fire roared and turned green once more, and the redheaded Lily Potter stepped out, also with a child in her arms. Dumbledore's eyes lit up, but the ever-present-before-now twinkle was nowhere to be seen. He motioned the two elder Potters to sit down, and with a glance, warned Severus not to overreact. 

"Good, you're here," the aging man started. "What I am about to tell you will not be easy for me to say, nor will it bring great joy to your whole family."

"What is it Albus?" asked James Potter. 

"Yes Headmaster, why did you ask us to bring Harry and Fay with us. They should be home with Sirius or Remus, where they are under the fidelius," added Lily.

"Yes, I understand, but this calls for all four of your presences. You see, just a few hours ago, I had received an important piece of information. The source was reliable, so I have full confidence that what was said is true. It seems that we have found the reason that Lord Voldemort is after your whole family, and family friends. As strange as it may seem, Faylese possesses extraordinary power. We are not sure about what this power is, but we do know that it is dangerous."

"What are you saying?" James clutched the younger of the two twins closer.

"Do not worry, Faylese does not have to leave. Harry, however, does," Dumbledore continues on, before anyone had a chance to say anything. "This is done because I have found a spot for you to stay and myself to come and train Faylese all that she will need to know in order to fulfill her newfound duty. There is no other way. The place I am talking about is only for three. Three, no more, no less. Faylese will need both of her parents to get through this, and this is the reason that Harry has to go."

"But Albus!" yelled James.

"Headmaster, are you asking me to give up my first-born child?" said Lily in a very dead sort of voice.

"I am afraid so. I am sorry to say, but this is not a choice. Think of it this way, how would Harry feel is he was constantly overshadowed by his twin?"

"I suppose you're right Headmaster, but who can we possibly trust with something as important as Harry?" 

"As fascinating as this is, why is my presence necessary?" Severus questioned annoyingly.

"For precisely this reason, I would like you to take care of Harry Potter." The twinkle was back.

(A/N I really wanted to end there, but that is way too short..)

Severus was dumbstruck. Not only did the man in front of him want the younger to take care of another, a baby at that, but also he wanted Snape to take care of a Potter. The child of the man who has made his life a living hell for over seven years. Him and a couple of his friends that were just as foolhardy and ignorant as him.

"Dumbledore, I absolutely refuse to do this!" Severus bellowed.

"And there is no way that a son of mine will be raised by a slimy snake!" added James.

"Quiet," Lily snapped at both. "I do not want to part with my baby as it is, but if I have to, I trust Sev completely, and that should be good enough for you, James. As for you Severus, I am disgusted that you are not putting the childish disputes between you behind, and act like the mature responsible adult that you are. I know that you will take good care of my son, and that is the only reason I am willing to do this. So if any of you have a problem with Sev looking after Harry, speak now or forever hold your peace." Harry hiccupped as though telling all in the room that his mother was right, and no more discussion. 

Lily determinately walked toward Severus, and put baby Harry in his arms. She then took some Floo Powder, and sent her husband and other child back home, now with tears in her eyes. Finally, she turned toward the Headmaster.

"How long?" she asked.

"Until they start Hogwarts. That is when you and James will teach at the school, and both of your children will be there. Instructions on what to do next are on you kitchen table. I will be by soon," replied the old man hastily. "And Lily, remember, this is for the best, and this is not forever. You will have your family back. I promise."

With those words, Albus motioned her to go on. Lily took one last look at her son, and was gone in a flash of green.

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Well, what do you think? I know that this was short, but I was just going to put it out and see what people think. If I'll get two positive reviews, I'll write this story. It's up to you.


	2. A Little Monster

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NOTE: CHAPTER ONE HAS BEEN MODIFIED 02-19-04

Severus stared from the fire, to the baby in his arms, and back into the fire. 

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How dare she?

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You know that you would've said yes to her anyway.

I would not! And this is Potter's son for the Merlin's sake! 

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You're right; Albus is an old manipulative bastard.

I thought you'd come to your senses.

"Well then Severus, I guess that that is settled then. It's too bad really, I was hoping that you would take the Potions Master's job, but since you are taking care of a child now…" Dumbledore broke off.

"NO! This little…human will not interfere with my job. I will take the job and we can both stay in the castle," Severus glared, and turned to leave. "Though I do think that I will need a bigger chamber to reside in. I expect all the necessary supplies to be in my possession as soon as possible. Good day." 

With that, the Potions-Master-to-be turned on his heel, with the boy clutched ungracefully in his grasp, and slammed the door on his way out of the office. Several pictures voiced their disapproval.

"Yes, I know that Severus is impossible, but I did get him to take the child, and I think that he can get the supplies himself. A bit of shopping will do him good." Dumbledore smiles to himself, and busied himself with paperwork.

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Severus strode towards the Great Hall, not knowing where else to go.

"Idiot Headmaster. Can't even tell me where I'm to stay." Snape really was in a foul mood. Down in his arms Harry looked around curiously.

"Ga!" he said, happily bouncing up and down.

"Ga indeed," Severus snarled.

The two proceeded into the Great Hall, where the elder placed the baby on the end of the Slytherin table, sitting down as far away as consciousness would allow. Through the window, Professor McGonnagall was taking off on a broomstick, heading home for the week-long break the school had received from the Ministry of Magic. Voldemort had held a massive raid in Diagon Alley which had left many casualties in it's midst, many of which were friends and family of the students.

"Kidditch," said Harry instantly. "What are you going on about?" Severus snapped back. "Kidditch," he repeated. "Kidditch is pwayed on bwooms. 'an it has tee chasews, 'an dey pway wit a kaffle, 'an too betahs, 'an dey pway wit budgers. Bugers hurt lots when dey hit yous. 'an dere's a keeper, 'an a seeka, 'an a gold 'nitch that you gots to catch. Giffdor is da bestest team at 'ogwars." Harry looked immensely proud of himself. 

"I see that you have already been brainwashed by that father of yours and his gang. I'll have you know, that you will keep both of your feet firmly on the ground until I say otherwise. Also, for you information, Slytherin happens to be the best Quidditch team, not Gryffindor." 

I'm explaining things to a child who will grow to be the vain of my existence. This has got to stop!

You know you want to take care of the kid Severus. Don't deny it.

Look here, voice-in-head, I am not in the mood at the moment to deal with you, I have to keep both eyes on the little brat…Where is he any— 

"POTTER LET GO OF THAT CAT!!" 

"No! Kitty come here." Harry then giggled loudly and kept a very firm grip on one frantic Mrs. Norris.

While Snape was still in a daze from seeing his new responsibility torture the cat, Argus Filtch chose that precise moment to stride into the chamber. He too watched the little kid "play" with his cat. Mrs. Norris yowled helplessly, and continues trying to claw her captor.

"Well no wonder you parents gave you up so easily. You're a monster." Severus instantly regretted his words.

Harry's brilliantly green eyes went wide, and he loosened his grip, allowing the cat escape. He turned his head toward Snape, then at Filtch's retreating back, then back at Severus. His eyes glistened with unshed tears.

"Mummy, Daddy," he mumbled before curling into a little ball and crying softly to himself.

Severus sighed. He did not intend to make the little one cry, but he had nothing to apologize for either. He made his way to Harry, and picked him up, noting that the baby fell asleep as soon as he was off the floor. Cursing Albus, the Potters, and his life in general, he walked back up the many staircases, to the stone gargoyle guardian of Dumbledore's office. 

"Candy apple." The gargoyle stayed still. Severus sighed. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately. 

"So he changed the password. Figures. Um, let's see. Chocolate Frog? Butterbeer? Ice Mice? Drooble's Best Blowing Gum? Cockroach Cluster? Every Flavor Beans? Oh will you just open already?" Still the stone statue was lifeless.

"Skittles," Harry said, awoken by the noise.

"What are you.."

Before Snape had a chance to say anything, the doorway was open, and the staircase started to move. He was amazed that Harry had managed to guess on his first try, but pushed it away from his thoughts. There were more important things to worry about.

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Frisha, **llinfields, **Mortanius

Thank you for being my first reviewers. I don't know yet if I want it to be a Dark Harry fic, but we'll see. If you have any ideas, please tell me, and I'll give you credit if I use them. If you lot encourage me with reviews, I'll try writing at least every other day. I'm planning to make this story only about Harry's life before Hogwarts, but if you make me happy, I'll make sequels for every book in the series. I'll try to make the chapters longer as well. 

Next Chapter: Harry and Sev go shopping 


	3. Welcome to Diagon Alley

"Why hello Severus. Back so soon?" asked Dumbledore with an amused expression.

"As you probably already know, I have no idea where to go, since you have not told me about my chambers." Severus set Harry down on the floor, and the child instantly crawled away to explore. "Secondly, I have no idea what to do. I was literarily given a child, and the next thing I know I was out the door, and in the Great Hall trying to prevent Mrs. Norris's murder."

"Yes I thought about this whist you were away." Dumbledore winces as Harry knocked quite a few of his possessions to the floor. "Harry must have a new identity. We mustn't forget that Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters are after him, and that with the planned disappearance of Lily and James, this will be quite difficult."

"What do you suggest we do?" Several books were now in a pile on the floor. "How am I to explain that this _child_ is living with me?"

"I think that after you change Harry's name, he can pose as a distant relative of yours, and we can say that you are the official guardian of said child." Fawkes thrilled an annoyed note, and flew to the other side of the room to avoid danger.

"I guess that that will work. That way, no one will have to know that a Slytherin is housing a potential Gryffindor. Once he starts school, he can go back to living with his parents, his sister, and that godfather. Black! What are we supposed to do about him?"

"Sirius Black will continue on as though nothing has happened. As cruel as this may sound, he will have to believe, along with the rest of the world, that all four of the Potters are dead." The window shattered.

"Good then, if my being here is no longer necessary, I think that I will go down to my new chambers and have some peace," said Severus.

"Yes that would be nice would it not? However, I have just one more errand to run." Dumbledore suddenly looked very mischievous. Snape raised an eyebrow.

"What, may I ask, would that be?"

"Why shopping of course. I do not remember Lily or James leaving any of Harry's things. So I would like you both to go to London, both magic and muggle, and get everything that Harry may need. The key to Harry's savings vault is right here. All you need to do now, is wait for me to change his appearance a tad." Severus stared at his former Professor as if he were mad.

"There is absolutely no way that I will spend a second of my time shopping," Sev said slowly and very venomously.

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"I cannot believe that he got me to do this," said a very strange looking Severus Snape. He was now wearing muggle jeans, and a loose t-shirt, with his hair (clean for once) tied behind him in a low ponytail. "But let's look at it this way, at least he is punished by the immerse damage Harry managed to inflict." The baby in his arms was very different from what it looked like a few minutes ago. Harry now had longer hair (still black), deep, onyx eyes, slightly higher cheekbones, and a very happy expression on his face. He now could be mistaken for an overly happy Snape. 

Severus glared down at the baby in his arms, and entered the leaky cauldron. There, he unshrunk a dark green pushchair, and walked proudly to the entrance to Diagon Alley with the baby in tow.

First stop was Madam Malkin's Robes For All Occasions, since Albus already took the money from the vault. The chime rang through the store, when the two wizards stepped in.

"Hello there, what can I do for you today?" asked a sales clerk.

"I need a whole new wardrobe for this child. I will need you to find everything he may need in terms of clothes. Do try not to take forever."

"Of course sir, I'll just get some help, and you'll be out of here in no time," she smiled.

As though on queue, eight middle-aged women appeared in front of Harry, and pulled him away.

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I still cannot believe that I am doing this. Remind me why.

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You're doing this because Dumbledore is manipulative and Lily takes after him. You are also growing soft and weak. 

This is supposed to make me feel better how?

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It's not supposed to. You asked a question, and I told you the answer.

Look at that, the monster is back.

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Serves the idiotic women right, they deserve to be kicked.

Oh! He bit that one.

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They deserve to be bitten as well.

They can say goodbye to that manicure.

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I think that one just lost sight in one eye.

No she's still going.

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I don't get it, how can he be so horrible, and they are still cooing over him with mother hens?

It's a woman thing I guess.

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I wonder when they'll have had enough?

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It's been three hours. If I didn't have to act like a responsible guardian I would have been back at Hogwarts two hours and fifty-eight minutes ago.

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Are they still going at it?

Yes.

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Well, that proves it. They're mad.

Quite.

"Well, that certainly did take a few more minutes than we thought it would. But we did put together many of the cutest outfits. This little fellow here had a lot of fun. Didn't you?" Harry scowled up at her, and stuck his tongue out. 

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Good Harry.

Harry then poked the one next to her very hard in the nose.

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VERY good Harry.

"Then if we are done here, I would very much like to move on. Please send all of this to Hogwarts. The money on the counter will cover everything.

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It better cover everything. I spent the better part of half and hour counting and recounting it.

The sun was slowly starting to set, but Severus was not about to have to come back here for a very long time. The next shop they went to was a baby supply one. Once in the store, the Potions Master felt his cheeks burn with embarrassment when ten or so women with their offspring looked long and hard at him and Harry.

Severus grabbed a shopping cauldron, and hastily walked down the isles. He bought a whole crate of baby formula (he REALLY didn't want to ever go back here), and a few dozen bottles, cups, plates, and feeding utensils. He looked through the diaper section. A picture of a woman nodded knowingly at him 

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Miss Elder's Baby Nappies Supreme

These nappies are what all mothers want. They are magically fitted once on, and can be left on the baby for up to a week, since each diaper has an automatic cleaning and anti-rash charm on it. Nothing else is needed for a child who is not yet toilet trained. Don't waste time with the old brands! This is the dream come true!

An entire crate of those also was delivered to Hogwarts later on. There were just a few things left. Severus took a firmer grip on Harry, and went out of the store, heading to the Apothecary. He needed more ingredients, especially those that were useful in baby medications. Behind him he heard a gasp from the store manager. Isle seven definitely needed clean up after Harry.

Before going inside the Apothecary, Severus halted. He put the bubble charm around Harry and levitated him in the store. After all, many things in there actually held some value. The Bubble charm worked perfectly, and they left the store without causing the need for renovation.

"Come on then, you. We have a toy store to go to, and then, finally, I will get peace," Severus tried to scowl to prove his point, but was too wary to intimidate even a baby.

"Fred! George! No! For goodness sake come back here!" A red headed woman ran up to Severus, a boy in her hands, and two following her.

"Have you seen two boys go past here? They're twins, have red hair, freckles, and were probably laughing their heads off," she said breathlessly.

"I assure you Madam. We have not seen any children, twins or no, come by. Now, we have to get on with what we came here for," Snape tried glaring once more, but failed miserably. 

"Oh, who do you have there? This is Ron," she said motioning to the youngest red headed child. "They look to be about the same age. What's your son's name?"

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My chapters are getting good length. This one was exactly 1444 words long. I think that 1500 will be normal for me. If someone thinks that I should do more or less, please say so in a review. I left the story off here for a reason. **I need names**. I good names that will sound good with Snape as a last name. As you have probably guessed, Severus has not yet thought of a name. Now is the time. So please review, you all are making me very, very happy.

~Miki

Oh, and I'm sorry if this chapter was a bit on the boring side. I promise to do better in later ones. I had to get the boring part over with.

Thanks to all who have reviewed. It's really great that you like the story so much. I don't have time to put up all those who have reviewed up, so bear with me. I'll do so next time.


	4. Magic Alert at Toymaster

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NOTE: This has been asked many times. Harry is one year and three months old. Hence the first chapter. It said October 31, 1981. All stories I read have Harry born in 1980, and if you think about it, that is the day that the Potters were attacked in the original Harry Potter books. I also think that it may have said Harry was born in 1980 in the books as well.

"My son's name is none of your concern," Severus said curtly.

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IDIOT!!! What were you thinking? You're his uncle, or godfather, or something! Now how are you going to get out of this one Sev?

"Oh, well alright then. As I said he and Ron look to be about the same age, and maybe they could meet again. What with You-Know-Who and his supporters, there are hardly any children under five."

"May be it will be so. But now, I must ask you to kindly excuse us. We are in a bit of a hurry."

"Well, if you ever want to contact me, it's The Burrow by Floo," said the woman. "And my name is Weasley. Molly Weasley."

"Very well. Good day Mrs. Weasley."

With that, Severus walked away, leaving the red head to look for her twins in the quickly reducing crowd. Snape took out his wand and transfigured a rock on the ground into a forest green pushchair, and was amazed that he did not think of this sooner. Harry was soon inside, giggling loudly, but no longer able to bounce around or escape.

"Well that is smart," Sev's voice was dripping with sarcasm. "How clever of the Ministry to never include a toy store in Diagon Alley."

At the word toy Harry started twisting his head in every which direction, then up at Severus with a very confused look on his face. Severus's face almost broke into a small smile. Almost being the key word. By the time they stepped out of The Leaky Cauldron, Harry was no longer interested in anything in particular, and the elder's face was wearing a scowl to prevent muggles from approaching them. A few blocks away, they stopped and Snape looked around.

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Toymaster, what sort of freak would name a store that? Well, it has toys in the name, so they must sell them.

"This is it Harry, the last of my misery for today."

Oh how wrong was he.

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Sev pushed the newly acquired pushchair into the store. The title held true; the store was filled top to bottom with toys.

"I refuse to be here for more than half an hour, so you have until then to chose." Quite a few people were staring now. _What am I doing talking to a baby? You couldn't care less about what I have to say could you Potter?_

"Yeha!" Harry paused his attempt at an escape to look at his guardian.

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If I didn't know better I'd say that kid just read my mind. No! Minds are not read. There is no way to read a mind. Legamentis is the closest to it. It's not reading. Get a grip Severus.

"Come," Harry said, glancing up at the stuffed animal section with a gleam in his eyes. The stuffed dog was in his arms almost instantly. Again, Severus did a double take. _Surely he can't be showing magic at just over a year of age._ Still, he began to wonder.

When Harry was out of his pushchair, the first thing he did was knock the wand out of Snape's sleeve. The latter rolled his eyes and retrieved the wand, setting it inside the pushchair seat. Severus then leaned against one wall, and motioned Harry to look through the toys, occupying himself with a copy of The Daily Prophet, disguised as a muggle newspaper. 

Soft thuds came and went as the child looked through the toys, and picked out a few. Severus marveled at his intelligence while looking over the top of the paper. When four animals: a bear, the dog, another bear, and a blob that Sev couldn't quite identify were in the basket of the pushchair, Harry quickly, almost too quickly sat back down in the pushchair. 

"When I said you had half an hour, I didn't mean that we have to run everywhere." Severus shrugged a bit. "We have enough time."

"On. Go on now," said Harry seriously.

With another shrug, the Potions Master pushed the pushchair to another part of the store, and left Harry to his devises while he read the news. Thus they proceeded for about twenty minutes, adding a big set of blocks, a few muggle books, and some random toys from all over the place. Snape couldn't help but notice something strange with one of Harry's sleeves. When they got to the register, Severus let Harry look through all the things he picked out, and counted out the strange muggle money he exchanged at Gringotts a few weeks ago. A huge crash brought him out of his thoughts.

"Lookie!" Harry yelled gleefully from eight feet above, holding Severus's wand like a baton.

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How in the world did he get that? The pushchair. Bad Sev. Note to self: never leave a wand in the seat of Harry's pushchair again.

Harry was laughing loudly, as he zoomed across the store. Severus knew this was bad. Already many muggles were panicking, and a few had called the muggle police. Severus focused all the wandless magic he could manage to apperate them to somewhere safe. Very slowly, their things faded, and eventually disappeared. Harry, still many feet above, was flickering in and out of sight. It was now that Snape was panicking. If this were kept up, both of them would end up splinched. He closed his eyes in deep concentration, and managed to dissaperate Harry entirely. With a little more ease, and coming very close to losing control, he did the same to himself.

Both fell into the Great Hall along with their things. Before Severus had a chance to do anything, Mrs. Norris came in, and was turned a second later into a bright pink eraser by the still-with-a-wand Harry. Harry's guardian grumbled to himself, got up, and snatched the wand out of the baby's hand. The man scowled, shrunk and gathered the items and the baby, turned the caretaker's cat back into its original form, and walked grimly the Headmaster's office. 

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Dumbledore raised one eyebrow. Severus Snape stood before him, a sleeping Harry in his arms, looking more tattered than he had ever been seen before. (Not counting the Death Eater meetings of course)

"Interesting day Severus?" he asked.

"You could say that. No, actually don't. Just tell me where I'm staying, and leave it at that," was the half-hearted reply.

Albus snapped his fingers and a house elf appeared at his side.

"This is Eli. She will be staying with you for as long as she is needed. If you want it to be so, she can become your and Harry's house elf officially. She will lead you to the rooms. I expect to see you at breakfast tomorrow. Both of you."

Eli walked briskly ahead, and Severus and Harry followed after. They were lead down through the castle, via the hallways and many secret passages. After what seemed like hours, they stopped just inside the dungeons and down a hidden corridor. The wall was bare, but carved with many designs that were too complicated to separate from each other. 

"This is the entrance to your rooms. The wall is password protected, and you may change the password as you wish. The password for now is prophecy. "

As Eli say the word, the wall carvings started to move like tiny little snakes, and within a second, a doorway was formed. The room they were in at the moment was probably the sitting or living room. The place was in whites, blues, and purples, with many couches, bookshelves, a small table, and a huge fireplace. To one side of the room, there was a staircase spiraling down. Severus guessed that that lead to his private potions lab and stores. A hallway a bit farther down, showed glimpses of a fair sized kitchen and dining room. Absent mindedly, Severus followed the house elf down a different hall, not taking in any detail. The room he was being led to was obviously Harry's, but Sev didn't bother to look around while quickly changing the sleeping boy into night clothes, and putting him to bed in silence. With eyes almost closed, he was led into a room that was his, and instantly collapsed from exhaustion. 

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Well, there's another one. I think that I will post a bit less frequently to give people a chance to review and get a chance to read it through. I am really amazed with the number of reviews. **I am still looking for a name**. I have a few in mind, but did not include the name in this chapter since I was not sure yet, and did not want you to wait till I was done deciding to be able to read this chapter. Anyway ideas for names please.

I would really, really, really like to thank bichonfrise and blythemolliegalina for everything they are helping me with. Even though I'm writing the story, my friends help me all the way. Thanks.

The next update won't be as fast. I want you all to review.

~Miki

Thanks to:

Sets, **Kit Kat, **Mel J, **Skylark, **Prd2bAmerican18, **zol, **kikinmimi, **risi**, Kateri1, **strangel2106**, misao-werewolf, **Frisha**

And all others who reviewed but I missed


	5. The Attack

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NOTE: The date in the first chapter has been changed to the 31st, to go along with this story. So everything was bumped up a day. Basically the Potters gave Harry up just a few hours that they were attacked in the books.

The first thought that crossed Sev's mind was about how comfortable the bed was. He was sure that there were none like that at his home, the Snape Manor, or Hogwarts either. Then memories of the day before came flooding back. He had Potter to take care of now. The monstrosity. Severus recalled how horrible the day had been. The shopping, the messes, and then collapsing on his bed exhausted.

"Eli," he called out softly, still not opening his eyes. There was a small pop announcing the house elf.

"Yes Master Snape? What can Eli do for you sir?" she said bowing.

"I would like you to check on the child and tend to any immediate needs that he may have. There are many shrunken items in the stroller and my pockets."

"Yes sir." With that, Severus was alone once more.

Finally, he sat up, and opened his eyes. Instantly, he felt his jaw drop. He was in such a magnificent bedroom, it would put the Malfoy Manor to shame. The floor was covered with a silver-white carpet that looked very soft. In the middle of the room, there was the king sized mahogany bed, with blue and silver patterns on the hangings, and quilts. On one of the walls, there was a huge window looking out on to the lake. The walls were an off white, and at the top, there were animals carved in, moving slowly around the room, making it seem alive. Near the window there was a good-sized desk, white, silver, and blue to match. Against the opposite wall, there were two doors. One presumably let to the closet, the other, was most likely a bathroom. Snape sat up, and got out of bed. He passed an armchair and a bookshelf, and opened one of the doors. The first, as the thought, was a closet. It already contained his wardrobe, and was neat, and organized. He noticed a few new additions to his collection of clothes. The second was of course the bathroom. It was made entirely out of blue-white marble. There was a silver rug on the floor. The bathtub was also marble was more white than blue than the rest of the room. It was very deep, and had faucets with jewels similar to those in the prefect's bathroom. The sink was also made in the same style, as was the toilet. Behind the mirror there was a cabinet, and under the sink there were quite a few drawers, with things all ready in their place. _Probably the work of the house elf. _

After a quick shower and getting into fresh robes, Severus exited his room. The hallway was filled with greens and blues, as well as the off white. There were a few closets, and a small library. Next came another door. Snape remembered this to be Harry's new room. It was furnished with most things that you would find in a nursery. There was a toddler bed instead of a crib, but that was about it. The walls were similar to what he had, but the moving animals were not only at the top, but all around, and live size. The ceiling was done in the same fashion as the Great Hall, reflecting the sky. On one side of the room, there was a window that was set low enough for a baby Harry to see through. It overlooked the Quidditch pitch, as well as the lake. Severus noted that they seemed to be very high up, probably a tower, but since there were near the dungeons, he realized them to be spells and illusion charms. Everything in the room was smaller then usual. Like the door handles would suddenly move down when Harry was near. The closet door was gone, leaving a view of the several sets of clothes that were picked out for Harry. Severus cringed at the memory. There was a low armchair, and on the floor there were numerous pillows. The bed was near the window, and was a light green with some blue. There was the stuffed Blob on top of it. The other toys were randomly around the room and in a white box in one of the corners. Harry was in the middle of it all, playing with his stuffed dog. As soon as he noticed Severus, he smiled.

"Hi!" he laughed.

"Good, I see that the house elf did its job. We're going to be late for breakfast, Albus said we were to come to the Great Hall this time." Sev picked Harry up in his arms, and left their chambers.

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**__**

Halloween, 1981

Voldemort Strikes at Godric's Hollow

We have lost yet another line of a pureblood family, writes newcomer Rita Skeeter. Last night, Voldemort and his Death Eaters attacked the four Potters. They were said to be under the fidelius charm, secret keeper, Peter Pettigrew. Mr. Pettigrew is now sentenced to a lifetime at Azkaban Prison. Also, Messrs. Sirius Black, and Remus Lupin were convicted of helping the Dark Lord indirectly. Since there is no major evidence, but the word of a Death Eater, Black and Lupin will spend the next five years in prison, and then let out clear of all charges. This reporter is very sad to inform wizard kind, that the memorial for James, Lily, Harry, and Faylese Potter will be held on the second of November.

Severus put down the morning's newspaper. So the Potters faked their death. Three hidden, and one messing with food next to him. Sev looked to his right, and watched Harry splatter the walls with mush that was supposed to be baby food. One particularly nasty glob of peas flew past his head, and landed neatly in Irma Prince's hair. (A/N I named Madam Prince Irma, since that's what it says in Quidditch Through the Ages) On Harry's other side, Professor Sinistra was sitting, and was trying in vain to get any of the food into his mouth.

"Come on Harry. Just one bite," she cooed. "See how good it is?" the Professor ate some of the food, and instantly spit it out. "On the other hand Harry, you're right. No one should be forced to eat this. Biscuit?"

Harry gurgled happily, and took the offered "normal" food. When Severus looked directly into his face, Harry grinned, as if to say Ha! See what I got? It even amazes me that I can have everything I ask for. Snape shook his head. _I should not be imagining the things that the kid would say if he were able to talk properly. I am going way too soft. But then again, there are no students left, so I'm allowed to let down my mask of fury. _

"Come on Harry, I think that we both have had enough to eat." I think that I'll take up Molly Weasley on her offer. It'd do you good to play with other brats," he said. A few minutes later, Harry was sitting in clean clothes, waiting for Severus to call the Weasleys via Floo.

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NOTE: Harry's name is now Rigel Cetus Allder Snape. I got a lot of ideas, and I really like them all, but I didn't want to use a name already used in this kind of story before. If anyone has a REAL problem with the name, tell me, and I'll consider altering it. I am seriously horrible with names.

Hey everyone. I have decided not to put up every single person who reviewed here because the reviews just keep coming.

This chapter was this short for a reason. I needed to have the article in it, and get Harry over to the Weasleys. The next chapter will be about the same length, but chapter seven will be ultra huge. I already have it planned out.

I would like to say that Harry is more advanced for the sake of the story, so as to make it more interesting. He will be closer to the level of a two-year-old. But then again, this is a wizarding baby, so I'm just going to make them more developed than normal.

Anyway, please review, and thanks to all of you who have reviewed. If you ask a direct question, I'll answer it here.

~Miki

Also: I had changed Toys R Us to Toymaster, diapers to nappies, and stroller to push chair. I have to stop thinking American. Thanks for pointing it out.


	6. Day Care

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NOTE: Due to popular demand, Harry's name is now Nigel instead of Rigel.

IF YOU HAVEN'T VOTED YET, PLEASE GO TO THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER AND DO SO RIGHT NOW!

"Fred! George! You leave that poor gnome alone this instant!" Molly Weasley shrieked from inside the house at her twin four-year-olds. Ron, who was one, was currently playing with his brother Charlie, who just entered second year. Percy, who was seven, had curled up on the couch with a book. Bill was nowhere to be seen. He had recently been made Head Boy, so he was probably locked up in his room. 

"Oh come on mum. We," said one. 

"Aren't doing anything," continued the other.

"BAD," they chorused together. 

"Really now boys, you let your mother be. Especially with your little sister on the way," said Arthur Weasley, the father, wearily.

"Weally Daddy, we no bad," said Ron. 

"Exactly dad, Gred and Forge are just playing with a gnome. We're being overrun with them anyway," added Charlie.

"I suppose. But those little guys do make the garden so much livelier. They are just so amusing to watch." Charlie and Percy exchanged glances with their mother. At that precise moment in time, there was a flash of green, and a head appeared in the fireplace. Arthur and Charlie instantly took out their wands and scowled at the stranger. They were about to curse the newcomer into dust, when Mrs. Weasley disarmed them both, and glared up at her husband and second eldest son. 

"How dare you pull a wand on a visitor?" she shrieked.

"But Molly dear, we thought," started Author.

"I know perfectly well what you thought. The Floo Network is watched. Do you really think that if someone were to break into out house, they'd use the fireplace? Honestly! Now out. He is my guest at the moment and I wish to talk to him alone. Treating him like some Death Eater, honestly!"

Meanwhile, Severus, for that was who was in the fire, was really starting to like this woman. _Now this is the right kind of attitude. We will get along just fine, I believe. Though she doesn't realize how wrong she was with that last statement._ He was brought back to his senses by a question from said woman.

"Welcome…I don't believe that I caught your name."

"I do not think that I've thrown it. But since you asked, my name is Severus Snape. I will teach Potions at Hogwarts from this day forward."

"Oh, my two eldest children are attending the school this year. Talking like that must be uncomfortable, why don't you some all the way through? May I call you Severus?"

"Yes, Mrs. Weasley. But the reason I called, is that I have thought about it, and have decided to take you up on your offer."

"It's Molly. Which offer would that be?"

"The one from yesterday at Diagon Alley. My son," Severus cringed. "Could use company his own age. You see, since I work in the castle, I live there for most of the year as well, so naturally, he does as well."

"Wonderful. He can meet Ron, Fred, George, and my daughter when she's born. It's funny really. This is our seventh child, but only the first daughter."

"Fascinating," said Sev quite dryly. "Shall we arrange a time?"

"Oh, how about now? If you're not doing anything that is," replied Molly excitedly.

"Good. Then in a few minutes it is."

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What a family. How can they stand to have six kids in one house and one more on the way? I really should give the people a break. Eli is a good babysitter after all.

"Molly, what do you think of bringing your three son's here instead. It's awfully quiet at Hogwarts without the students. They can play on the grounds, and one of Hogwarts' house elves can look after them if they get to be too much for me." _Yeah right, as if I'll spend any of my time with them. The whole point is for me to get some peace and quiet. _

"Well…alright then I'll Floo over with them in ten minutes. What should we call?"

"Hogwarts, the Great Hall will do. I will see you later then."

Severus came back to his chambers. Harry was still sitting on the couch, looking at him intently. Severus scowled once more. _This better be worth it. _ Against his better judgment, he picked up one of the muggle books and spent a few minutes reading it to the boy. With only a minute to go, he shrunk some of Harry's toys, and, with Harry in tow, proceeded to the Hall.

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"Nigel," Severus tried the name out. Harry cocked his head to one side.

"Your name is Nigel Cetus Allder Snape. Understand?"

"Ni," said Harry with a confused look. "No, 'm Harry. Not Ni."

"Yes I know Har-Ni, but you need a new name, and I think that Nigel is good enough. Some children your age are going to be here any minute now. When they ask you your name you'll tell them what?"

"Ni!" cried Harry with enthusiasm.

"Correct Mr. Snape," Sev smirked.

The fire roared, and four figures appeared. The twins looked like trouble already. Ron was looking around, and when he spotted Harry, he waved a bit, smiled, and looked away.

"Hello Severus," greeted him Molly. "And I presume that this is you son."

"Yes, this is Nigel."

"Great! You probably know Ron by now, and this is Fred, no George, no wait. Oh never mind. Just call them Gred or Forge. Eventually, you learn to tell them apart, but it does take time to do so. Anyway, how long should they stay?"

"How about until just after dinner. The house elves will be ecstatic. They hate it when there are no student here to create work for them."

"If you're sure Severus. Now Ron…where are they?" Both adults looked around to see that the children had already wandered off. Mrs. Weasley started to panic, but Snape kept his cool. He called out, and instantly Eli appeared at his side.

"What shall Eli do for Master Snape?" asked the cre4ature.

"I need you to find four kids. One of then is Nigel," here he gave Eli a meaningful look. "Two of the others are older and twins, and the last is Nigel's age, and had red hair and freckles as do Fred and George, the twins."

Severus saw Molly back to her home, assuring her that her kids were safe and already found. Then the Professor sighed. _This is going to be one long afternoon._

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I was wondering. In stories it always says that Filtwick is the head of Ravenclaw, and Sprout the head of Hufflepuff. Does it actually say in the books who the heads of those two houses are?

As I said in the chapter before, the next will be very, very long. So be prepared.

Thanks to all who have reviewed.

~Miki

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Tati1: I know that I haven't answered your question from long ago. But If I tell you, then it wouldn't be as fun would it? Besides I haven't decided yet myself. If it is true, then no one will find out until Harry starts Hogwarts.

Also, to all who have been asking questions concerning the twins (Harry and Fay) and their powers. I will not disclose the information until later on in the story. There will be small hints though.


	7. Lost

"Come on Ron," said Fred.

"Ni, you too, come on," added George.

"Where we goin?" asked Ron.

"Dunno, Ni, what do yous think?"

"Out!" Harry clapped his hands, and started towards one of the doors.

"Okie." Ron followed him.

The twins shrugged and followed them. The door Harry chose led to a set of moving staircases. Harry looked around, then bravely stepped on one of the steps and motioned the others to come as well. When they were all on the step, Harry grinned.

"Out," he said.

The staircase separated from the castle, and slowly floated in the air, going downward. The twins gave each other high fives, and looked curiously over the edge. Ron, on the other hand, curled up in a corner, and started to whimper a bit. Harry looked from Ron, to Fred and George, and shrugged. As far as he was concerned, the twins were far more interesting to be around. By that time, all the other staircases moved aside to let the floating one through. Once it was reconnected, Harry and Fred bounded downward, followed closely by George. Ron, sat still for a moment, but then he noticed a pair of orange eyes on him. He instantly jumped up, and hurried after his brothers and new friend.

The castle seemed to shift itself, because only a few minutes later, the kids were outside. (A task that would have taken others a good ten minutes) Harry stopped and looked around. Fred and George were watching him, waiting for instructions. The problem was, Harry knew no more of the school and ground than they did. What he did know is that if he really wanted to be somewhere, all he had to do was walk in any direction, and he would get there. Or at least he suspected it. With that in mind, Harry imagined the scene he had seen from his bedroom window, with the lake, the pitch, and a small hut by the forest. 

"Look at Ni," said Fred or George.

Harry look around, he was in the scene he had imagined now. A very, _very_ big man was walking towards them. Following the man was the biggest dog, Harry had seen.

"Look, Fed, Orge, look, doggie," he said as the pair came closer.

"Yup, look Fred, there's a doggie here. Let's play with it Ni," said George.

Ron caught up with them at that time, when he saw what had caught the others' attention, he started to, very quietly, whimper once more.

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Severus had just reached his rooms, when the fire roared, and Dumbledore's voice called his name. He cast a longing look at one of the armchairs, and Flooed to the headmaster's office.

"Hello Severus, how's life with a child going?" Severus really did want to curse the man right then and there.

"Oh, you know, the usual. Everything broken, constantly look over to check if he hadn't killed himself yet. Now there are three more just like him on the loose in the castle," he noticed the look on Albus' face and quickly added "But, I have the house elf looking after them, so both the school and everything in it is safe."

"I'm glad that Harry has a chance to be with others his own age, not many children are you know. What with all the things going on these days," said Dumbledore.

"Why do I have a feeling that this is not why you asked me to come?" questioned Sev.

"Because you're right. I wanted to ask you when was the last time that you were called by Voldemort." Severus stared at him.

"It was about a week ago, why?"

"He's gone," said the headmaster.

"What are you on about?"

"Exactly that. He has disappeared without a trace. He was last seen at the exact midpoint between here, where Harry was, and Godric's Hollow, where Faylese was."

"Are you saying that Fay Potter had something to do with it?" asked Snape.

"I have my suspicions. Though it is quite possible that it was just about anyone else, including Harry. Of course, Voldemort could just be hiding himself, making the whole world believe that he was dead."

"But why not try extra hard and capture a Death Eater, then question him under the Veritaserum about it?"

"That is the strange thing. We did exactly that. We questioned Melissa Lestrange, second cousin of Bellatrix Lestrange, and she said that she last saw him at the special meeting two days ago, when he made the plans to capture both Harry and Faylese. We are not sure of why he only wanted to capture them," Albus suddenly looked a lot older. "We are in grave danger, he could be anywhere.

"But then again, he could really be gone," said Severus.

"But if someone did get rid of him, they would tell the ministry, or something. Unless, of course it really was one of the twins. Although I do not believe that Harry is anywhere near Faylese's power level, I have been known to be wrong. Has Harry been out of your sight last night at all?"

"Only when we went to bed. I was very tired, so when Eli showed us to our chambers, I put him to bed, and collapsed on mine."

"So then it is possible," Dumbledore was silent for a minute. "I would like you to do everything in your power to keep Harry inside the castle at all times, or else, under no less than three pairs of watchful eyes."

"If I must, but I warn you, he will not be happy," said Sev.

"If you are really wanting peace this badly, you can drop Harry and his friends off in my office for the rest of the day. I do not have anything else to do at the moment anyway."

Severus nodded, his thanks, and Flooed back to the dungeons.

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"Come on Ronnie! Come play with Fang and us!" yelled George from Hagrid's porch to his younger brother.

"No!" 

"Pwease 'on?" added Harry.

Still, Ron remained at least twenty feet away. Fred grabbed his twin's and Harry's sleeves and dragged them over to Fang, obviously bored of trying to get Ron to join them. Fang was looking down at the four with great curiosity. Every single one of them was at least a head shorter than the dog, and because he was constantly with Hagrid, Fang was not used to that. He was even more surprised when one of the children pushed the smallest one on his back, followed by an older one. The first followed soon after. Fang stood up to shake them off, but when he saw the look Hagrid was giving him, he decided against it.

"Let's go doggie!" yelled Fred of George.

"Fast!" Harry grabbed Fang's fur and gave it a tug.

Fang yelped, and started walking slowly around the cabin. The kids laughed, and Harry pulled a little harder. Fang started to jog around, pleased that it was this easy to satisfy them. Then one of the twins gave him a little nudge with his foot. Fang looked over at Hagrid, but the half-giant had gone inside. If fang could scowl, he would have done so. Now what was he supposed to do. He noted that he had apparently stopped, and his riders were not happy. The dog was very annoyed by now, and decided that if they wanted to ride, he would give them one.

Harry barely had time to grab on to Fang's fur, when the huge dog was running full speed. There was a small scream, and a thump. Harry looked behind him, and only saw Fred. He too let out a yell, but was still on. At that point, they were entering the dark forest. Twigs, and small branched crunched under Fang's paws. Trees, some as tall as the castle itself, were everywhere. In ten seconds, barely any light was present. Harry's green eyes widened, and he started to tug very hard on Fang, trying to get him to stop. There were many eyes, glowing from the bushes and dark corners. Fang finally started to slow down, but was still running fast. Here and there, there were creatures, jumping in and out of their path. After they missed a huge tree very narrowly, Fang turned sharply to the left, and left the path behind. Fred was crying now, clinging to Harry as though his life depended on it. Suddenly, Fang skidded to one side, and both boys fell off him at once. The dog did not notice a thing, and continued on his way. Harry was fighting tears, and losing very horribly, Fred wailing at his side.

"We're lost," said Harry before breaking down completely.

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WOW OVER **100** REVIEWS!! I was gone for a day, and what do I find? **40** more reviews than it was when I last checked. I'm sorry that I was a bit late with this chapter, but I couldn't help it. I know that I chose a good-for-me-bad-for-you place to stop, but can you blame me? It was so perfect.

Thanks to all who have reviewed.

~Miki

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1525 words in this chapter.

And before you ask, I will not say what's going on with Voldemort.


	8. A Rescue Mission

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Harry is not going to like this. No, he is definitely NOT going to like this. I wonder how much damage he'd cause if I tell him that he's not allowed outside? I don't think that I want to know. Maybe I will take him and his friends to Albus later on. Take him there, and then tell him. That sounds good.

"Eli!" Severus called out.

__

Where is that house elf?

"Eli!" There was a very small pop a few feet away.

"Yes Master Snape?" she said.

"Have you found the children?"

"Yes sir, I did. But they has escaped sir. I seen them, but then the staircase moved, and I could not follow."

"Could you have not taken a different staircase?" Sev was starting to doubt the amount of intelligence that this house elf had.

"Oh no sir, this staircase did not move properly. Master Ha- Nigel said out, and the staircase separated fro the castle sir. It floated all the way to the ground floor, and all the others moved out of its way. Then a door appeared, and Master Nigel and his friends went through it. When the staircases were normal again, I followed, but the door was gone sir. Since Master said out, I went outside, and searched everywhere I could think. I was just about to search by gamekeeper Hagrid's house when you called sir."

Severus closed his eyes for a minute, and took a deep breath.

"Eli, you are to get a couple other house elves, and meet me down at Hagrid's hut. We will look there, and the others can go to places I assign them. Do not tell anyone but the couple house elves that you chose that they are missing. Especially not Dumbledore. If he asks you, lie and say that you haven't seen H- Nigel or the Weasley boys."

"Yes, sir Master Snape," Eli said as she popped away. (A/N what do they do? I can't say that they apperate because you can't do so at Hogwarts.)

Severus was part amused, part furious, and part…proud. _Now where did that come from?_

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You're proud because the boy was barely away from you for ten minutes, and he's already missing. 

Good Slytherin trait, what can I say?

Severus took multiple passageways, and was soon outside. He ran all the way to Hagrid's hut, a very un-Snape-like thing to do. Emi, and four other house elves were waiting for him patiently. Severus recognized one of them to be Yui, the house elf that practically raised him until he became sixteen.

"Right then, I'm guessing that you all know what this is about," all the elves nodded. "Eli and I will search this area, Eli, you will look everywhere that a toddler can or can't fit. I will talk to Hagrid, and see if that dog of his will help. Yui, and you there, you two will search the other half of the grounds. Finally, the other two of you, will search the castle top to bottom. Don't skip hidden passageways, and password-protected things. Pictures have been known to let little kids in just because they are small. Look especially hard in our chambers, and the Great Hall, for that is where Nigel has been before. If you find anything relevant, report it to me at once."

As each of the elves went to do their job, Severus hurried over to Hagrid's hut, and started pounding on the door.

"Hagrid, it's me, Severus. Open this door at once!" he yelled. A moment later, Hagrid appeared in the doorway.

"Oh, Professor, are you 'ere for the 'ids?"

"You mean that they are all here?" asked Sev.

"No, two are 'tside with Fang, the other two are 'ere. Surely you'd 'ave seen them while comin' over 'ere?" Hagrid looked not the least bit worried.

"You meant that you left a dog in charge of four toddlers?" asked Snape in disbelief.

"No, 'e's only taking' care of two. One seemed too fri'tened to be near the dog, and the other came back to me hut just a minute ago," said Hagrid. 

Inside there was a crash, and Hagrid left the door open while he hurried over to the broken cups. In the middle of the mess, one of the twins was grinning widely, and trying to get his younger brother Ron to come as well. Severus was glad to see that the two were all right, but where were Harry and the other twin?

"Oh 'ook 'ere Professor, Fang's commin' back. But it don't look like there's some one on 'is back. They were ridin' him the two that aren't here."

Severus rushed outside, and took a good look at the dog. Its paws were covered in mud and a little cut up. His fur was matted down on his back, and you could see where two children had been sitting. In Fang's fur, there were twins and leaves, along with more dirt. 

"Hagrid! Your dog has just been in the forest! What was he doing there?" Sev yelled, panicking.

"I dunno, I spent a while looking' at how he was with the kids. He wouldn't've gone in there by 'imself."

Severus was no longer listening. Harry, and his young friend were somewhere in the forest, with no means of protection what so ever. It was only a matter of minuet before something happened to them. Dark thoughts ran through Severus' mind as he summoned Eli.

"Has Master Snape found young Master Nigel?" she asked.

"No, but I do know that he, and another are in the Forbidden Forest. I also know that there is not much time. I need you to help me find a place where it looks as though a massive dog ran through in a hurry."

"Yes sir, I will look right away."

Both moved closer to the edge of the forest and started carefully scanning the growth for a sign of an animal running through. There were quite a few spots were the grass and bushes were strangely parted of flattened down. Many were too small, a few, too big. Severus was getting more and more worried with every try and every fail. Suddenly he saw it, a paw print. It was the exact shape and size as Fang's. There was a place that looked as though someone fell down, and rolled away. _Of course. Why would only one of the twins go? The other must have been able to stay on, along with Harry, and the one that is at Hagrid's must have fallen here._

"Eli, I think that this is it," said Severus as he lit his wand.

Slowly the man and the elf crept along the path that Fang had followed. Every so often, a creature would stir the silence, and cause Severus to jump in fright. After a while, the paw prints left the path. Snape looked deep into the forest. Fang's tracks were now harder to follow, as the tall grass, and shrubs now hid them. There was an occasional fallen tree here, Making Severus think once more about the sort of creatures that could be found here. Ten more minutes were spent going through the growth, taking turns and detours when the paw prints did.

"Master Snape, look," Eli pointed to a small clump of flattened grass. "I is thinking that they fell off here sir."

"I think so too Eli, but where have they gone? I don't see any footprints, human footprints that is. There are a few here that are most likely from a centaur, but other than that I don't know. What do you think Eli?"

"Eli?" Severus repeated when he received no answer.

"Trespassers are not welcome in this Forest," said a very cold voice from behind him.

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I know, a bit of a cliffie, but I think that you have some idea of whom might be behind Sev. I am very, VERY impressed with the number of reviews. Maybe later on I'll make goals and won't update until you reach them.

~Miki


	9. At the Camp

A centaur, towering two feet above him, stood, its pale eyes boring into Severus's. The half horse half humans pointed at least two dozen arrows at both Sev and Eli. One of them Sev recognized. It was Ronan. His reddish hair and short beard were clearly visible in the dark forest. 

"Leave him be, Bane," said one of the centaurs to the one towering over Snape.

"Why should I do that? This human is trespassing on our grounds, and he brought an elf with him as well," retorted Bane, and he flicked his black tail with annoyance.

"These are dark times, or have you not been paying attention to the planets?" asked a pure white centaur, a female this time.

"I am Kabeth, but we have the right to capture and kill all who have invaded our territory. It is the right of all creatures to protect their territory," Bane was not about to give in.

"Mars has faded," said another of the centaurs, lowering his bow. As one, the others did the same and raised their heads to the sky.

"I beg forgiveness from your clan," began Severus seizing his opportunity. "But we have come on a peaceful mission. Two of our children are missing. They were left alone in the forest, and are without protection. This is the place where the tracks stop," Sev looked into Kabeth's face, searching compassion.

"Your task is a worthy one. We shall let you pass," she said. Bane was about to protest when she cut him off. "Moreover, we will lead you to your young, seeing as they are within our camp at the moment." Kabeth noticed a look of apprehension cross Severus' face. "Do not worry," she said laughing. "We do not hurt foals."

One by one, the centaurs left, leaving only Ronan, Bane, and Kabeth behind. Severus motioned Eli to go back to the castle. She hesitated, but did not dare disobey a direct order.

Severus followed the three centaurs very slowly, cursing his luck every step he took. It was only the thought of the two little kids further in the woods that kept him from turning around and fleeing to the Dungeons.

__

Remind me, why am I doing this again? It's Potter's fault that he just had to go in the forest on that blasted dog.

His inter-self gave a sigh.**You're doing this because Dumbledore will do something uncharacteristically nasty to you if those kids aren't safe.**

__

What if I go into hiding, grow a beard, dye my skin purple and change my name to Selfiski Leoniski?

****

Severus Snape, after you get out of the forest I want you to take a long, cold shower. This being a parent thing is really getting to you. Must be the air around kids.

__

Oh, but it would be fun. Just imagine the look on Albus' face!

****

Definitely the air.

A few minutes later, Severus was still in an argument with himself, and was losing spectacularly. Ronan had left the group, preferring to run ahead of the, in his opinion, very sluggish human. The other two couldn't blame him. Bane was muttering under his breath and shooting Sev dark glances. Kabeth rolled her eyes and turned to her companion.

"If you want to leave to bad, do so, and do not discomfort us with your presence." She looked over at Sev. "We are almost there now, it is only about fifteen away, though at the speed that you're going it might take a while."

Sev groaned inwardly. Why had he taken the job?

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"Is it much longer?" Sev asked after nearly three hours of jogging after Kabeth.

The centaur did not answer, but instead ran a few yards ahead and pushed her way through a wall of tall bushes. Severus hurried after, but found that he was not strong enough to do the same. He then looked helplessly at his surroundings. For at least half a mile on, the wall did not break, and stayed a constant seven feet. The forest was pitch black, and the trees were not fit to climb, so there was no way of knowing where he was without moving. 

"Bloody centaurs, can't even lead a wizard properly," he said to no one in particular.

"Actually, we are quite precise, and lead one to the exact location of where said one wanted to end up," came Kabeth's voice through the bushes Severus reddened a few shades, before nodding his thanks to Kabeth, who had now came half-way though and was holding the bushes apart, took a deep breath, and went through.

A strange sight greeted him. Numerous centaurs, of all ages were doing something or other in the camp. The elders were eating in one corner, and discussing a topic, periodically looking up at the sky. Several she-centaurs were also huddled together, and were re building a fallen part of the wall. One or two centaurs were dozing in a rare patch of sun. There were centaurs that followed older ones, and were practicing different skills. Pairs of one young, one grown were constantly coming in and out of the clearing. _The young ones are probably apprentices._ Those who were at the peak of their power were helping others, or else practicing fighting, hunting, and discussing strategies. _Those must be the warriors._ A hut was to the left, and a strong smell of herbs and plants came from inside. A steaming cauldron was on the porch, and the centaur by it was brewing what Severus knew to be an advanced Healing Potion. _I bet that Poppy doesn't know half the plants that medi-centaur has inside._

Yet another part of the camp was fenced off. The fence was high, maybe four or five feet, just enough for a full-grown centaur to jump over. The only gate was tied to the rest of the fence with strong vines and an apprentice was guarding it. Inside, there were many small nests, food, and other odds and ends. A small group of centaur children was playing with a hand made ball, throwing it back and forth amongst each other. Most were no more than three years of age, and only about three close to apprentice age. In the midst of it all, a read head, and a black head, bobbed in and out of view. Severus ignored everything else, and rushed toward Harry and Fred. 

In the time that it took him to run forty or so yards, Severus wondered why he was doing this. This was Harry, he was Potter's son, and he, Severus, should have just left him in the woods, not sparing another thought. He was a Death Eater, a murderer. True, he was a spy, but many died at his hand before he became one. Now here he was, risking his life and going many miles into the forest just to rescue a child that was not even his.

Severus' mind went on auto pilot as he and the two toddlers made their way back to Hogwarts, a centaur was kind enough to give the three a ride, and so they were at the edge of the forest in no time. Both Harry and Fred kept silent during the journey, and their heads were lowered, expecting punishment. The Potions Master did not find it in himself to do so at the moment, and absent-mindedly knocked on Hagrid's door, and went inside.

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There, you have to wait no longer. I'm sorry that this took this long. I promise that you won't ever have to wait this long. I was just all caught in RL (real life) and completely forgot. My apologies. I know that this was short, but have pity; I was out of ideas on this chapter. I hope that the next will be a bit longer and Please review.

What I meant with 'something special with Ginny' in the vote is not like you think. This fic will not have romance or anything like that, because I just don't enjoy writing it that much. Besides, at the moment Harry is only one. What I mean is make her an important character.

~Miki

Preview of next chapter:

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"But you promised that before. Besides, you can't sleep it's my birthday. You promised to take me to Diagon Alley, and I can chose four presents there, and then Fred and George get to come over. 


	10. A New Age

"Uncle Sev! Come on Sev, wake up!" Harry raced through the hallway of Hogwarts to his 'Uncle' Sev's room.

"Must you call me that ridiculous name?" came the sleepy reply. Harry climbed up on Severus' bed and was bouncing happily about.

"Well if you don't want me to call you Sev, then why can't I call you Daddy?" Harry stopped bouncing and looked Sev straight in the eyes. The latter shut his eyes and took a deep breath as he always did when the topic came up.

"Because I am not your father," he said.

"I know that, my dad's name is James Potter, but you're my daddy in every other way. You never did tell me where James went anyhow," the last sentence was almost pleading.

__

No, he's too young, I'll tell him when he is ready.

****

Sure you will _Sev._

I will. When the time is right. I will. 

"I will tell you when you're older Harry, now go and play, I want to sleep," Severus replied gruffly.

"But you promised that before. Besides, you can't sleep it's my birthday. You promised to take me to Diagon Alley, and I can chose four presents there, and then Fred and George get to come over. You said they could, remember?"

__

Yes, I remember. Every time those two come over, it's chaos in the castle. Ever since that forest escapade, the three have been nothing but trouble. Good thing that the other, Ron I believe, is not like that. I don't think that this castle could stand a fourth one.

"I did promise you that Harry. So you go and send Eli to get you breakfast, then change and be ready to go in twenty minutes."

"Ok!"

Sev watched as Harry bounced out of his chambers, and sat up in his bed. He decided to do everything the easy way that morning, and with a wave of his wand was clean, dressed, and with twenty minutes to spare. There was a crash. Knowing that with the charms on the door nothing had happened to his potions, Sev did not move a muscle. Tobble gave a yell, followed closely by Eli, and Harry's laughing then drowned both house-elves' voices out. 

Severus now only vaguely remembered when Tobble was assigned to watch over Harry. Dumbledore had learned, from Peeves to doubt, about Harry's adventure in the Forest. Unlike Hagrid, he did not find it amusing one bit. Though after one of Harry's destructive modes clicked on in the Headmaster's office he had lifted the rule about being outside, Harry still remembered it to this day, and never once in the past three years had forgiven him. Neither one of the twins were ever nice to the old man as well, since in their mind, taking away the right to play outside, was a crime beyond all others. Three toddlers, and Peeves from that day forward disliked Albus. Severus really had no idea why, but Peeves had decided to team up with Harry and the twins. Not that Sev was complaining: thanks to Harry, Peeves never played pranks or bugged him in any way what so ever. The polgerist was a very powerful ally to have.

"Sev, I'm done! Let's go to Diagon Alley!" yelled Harry.

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Harry, now as Nigel with longer hair, onyx eyes, and higher cheekbones, walked out of the fireplace, soon followed by Sev. Both were wearing jeans, a t-shirt (Sev's was black and Harry's Ravenclaw blue), and their hair was tied back in a low lose ponytail. Severus got away with simply enlarging Harry's old clothes for the last three years, but now, there was no doubt about it. He would have to make another trip to Madam Malkin's Robes For All Occasions. He shuddered at the thought of ever going there with Harry again.

"Come on Sev, look let's go there first. I want to go before we go to Diagon Alley. Please?" Harry was tugging on Severus' sleeve and pointing outside in the Muggle world. Across the street there was a sign: 

****

NEW LONDON PET SHOP GRAND OPENING!!

"But Ni, there's a pet shop in the Alley as well. Why make the side trip?"

"Because I've never been to a muggle one, that's why Sev. We don't have to stay long, please can we go?" Harry looked up, but eyes wide, and looked up at his 'father'.

"Fine, but remember-"

"I know," Harry cut him off. "I can't talk about magic, muggles, and all that other stuffs. I can't do anything magical, and we can't stay for long," he recited and started to run out the door before he even got to 'muggles'.

Snape rolled his eyes and followed.

Inside the pet shop it was madness. There were cats, dogs, fish, rabbits, gerbils, mice, hamsters, and who knows what else barking, hissing, banging things together, and making other noise. Harry was already by all the animals, looking curiously at all the ones that he had never seen before. While passing the snakes, he covered his ears, and ran quickly out of their corner. Sev wondered the reason for that; snakes and fish were probably the quietest animals in the place. Severus touched the small emerald snake suspended from a chair around his neck, and concentrated on the boy. He had given Harry an identical one, and its purpose was to create a telepathic link between the two, so that they could talk. Unfortunately, it only worked in places of low magical levels, so it was useless at Hogwarts, but here it was perfect.

*Harry? *

*What's up Sev? *

*I see no need to go in the pandemonium of this store, so I will wait for you in the Leaky Cauldron. *

*Ok, I won't be too long, * Harry assured him.

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True to his word, Harry did not spend too much time in the store, and was out in less than fifteen minutes, grinning from ear to ear. 

__

This cannot be good.

"Hey Sev, guess what?"

__

Nope, definitely not good.

"What is it?"

"I found myself three of my birthday presents."

"Oh really, what are they?"

"Not telling. It's a surprise. I asked the lady there to not sell them to any one else, and she says that she won't sell them. So we can get other stuff for now in Diagon Alley, and then come back."

"Nigel, I need to know what it is, I can't just say yes without knowing what you want," Severus directed a mild glare at the kid.

"You said that I could get anything that I wanted, besides, I know that you'll like what I picked. Now come on!"

Dreading the end of the shopping trip, Sev opened the way to Diagon Alley and followed Harry to Gringotts. Upon entering the marble building, Harry fell silent. Snape was grateful for the fact that Harry was nervous around goblins. True, he wasn't down right terrified like most kids his age were, but he was not about to play around in their presence either.

"I would like to make a withdrawal from the Snape family vault," Severus told one of the goblins. The creature immediately took the extended key, and hurried through a set of doors.

A cart was waiting for them, and took off at break neck speed the moment everyone was inside. Harry could be heard chanting the directions that the cart took; trying to predict what would come next. Surprisingly, he was correct almost all the time. Though he had been to the vault four times before, he knew most of the turns by heart. Everyone marveled at his memory constantly. The four-year-old knew the first year speech by heart, and a lot of spells were already imprinted in his mind. All he needed now was a wand. Not that he was allowed one until Hogwarts. 

__

The ministry should make taking other people's wand illegal for young witches and wizards. I lost count of how many times he has stolen mine and done damage.

The cart finally slowed to a stop at one of the vaults. Sev let Harry out before him, and gave the goblin a nod, urging him to do his part. When the key was turned, Sev put his hand on the door.

"Severus Nigel Snape," he said aloud. As he did, a glow spread from his hand, to the door, and with in moments it swung open. 

On the other side, there were three doors. The first was the one that Severus walked through. Behind it, there was a chamber roughly the size of the Great Hall, and it was filled to the top with gold and silver, heaps of bronze were here and there as well. The Snapes made a point of having no more than two offspring, so that the family inheritance grew to huge amounts. They owned a total of one tenth of all the gold in Britain. Severus knew that he was a lot better off that the Malfoys, but never showed it. To others, he, and the rest of his family were average, nothing to brag about kind of people. Unless you counted skill of course. All Snapes had a skill in Potions, the Dark Arts, and Transfiguration. Sev supposed that Harry would excel in those areas as well, since a Snape brought him up. 

After the necessary amount was taken, Severus took Harry's arm, and had to literarily drag the boy away from the other two doors. Once they were in the main part of Gringotts, he exchanged some Galleons for muggle money, and walked outside.

"Why couldn't we go into the other rooms Sev?" Harry whined.

"Because I don't want to waste time. We will go in there next time," Severus said sternly.

"But that's what you said last time." Together, they walked to Madam Malkin's, and all other thoughts were wiped from Harry's mind.

Two assistants took hold of Harry and stood him on one of the measuring blocks, talking about what would go good with his eyes, and other such nonsense. At the same time, another went up to Severus. 

"Welcome to Madam Malkin's Robes For All Occasions," her smile faltered a bit when she caught sight of Sev's expression but she caught herself. "How can I help you this morning sir?"

"I would like a full wardrobe for the boy done. Consider everything he may need for the year. Do try to hurry." Without waiting for an answer, he settled down in a chair and started to read a copy of the _Daily Prophet_.

****

SIRIUS BLACK ESCAPES AZKABAN PRISON

__

Sirius Black was arrested almost three years ago with Remus Lupin for being possibly involved with the death of Lily, James, Harry, and Faylese Potter. The two have been under mild guarding from the Dementors since they have arrived there. Last visit confirmed that Mr. Lupin was still very sane, as was Mr. Black. We do not believe that either is or was a Death Eater. However, this break out is suspicious. No one has ever attempted such a thing. Not to mention succeeding in it. The Ministry has absolutely no clue as to what happened, as always. 'How true,' thought Sev. _But we are all working very hard to catch him. We are not positive as to whether or not he possesses a wand, but he may have stolen one by now. Mr. Lupin has been questioned about the escape, but there is no way that he could have helped, seeing as he is a werewolf, and that night there was a full moon. The Ministry of Magic urges everyone to take extra precautions; no one knows the reason for Black's escape. If caught or sighted, please contact the Ministry at once. When Black is found, he is facing three additional years in prison, more if he does not cooperate. _

Severus sighed. _Great, now that mad godfather of his is out and about. _At that moment, Harry came bouncing up to Sev, ready to go. 

"Come on, Sev, they said that they are going to send my new things over to Hogwarts later. How did they know that they had to send it over to Hogwarts anyway?"

"I don't know Har-Nigel. I think that it's just one of those things. Like Mr. Ollivander always knowing your name," said Severus. "Since you already picked out three of your presents, what would you like for the last?"

"I think that maybe the three should turn into four, since what I want is a really really big thing. So we can say that my four choices are gone for this year. I'll have to wait for Christmas."

__

Now this is good. I guess I am raising him right. Another four year old would have said that since we're buying the present in one store, or if all of them are the same, then it'll count as only one, but Harry is modest and not greedy at all. Good, and here I was thinking that I'm completely hopeless at this parenting thing.

It was getting close to eleven o'clock, and since the Weasleys would come at eleven thirty, Severus announced that it was time to go to the pet store, and be on their way back. There _was_ going to be a small party in the castle. (Severus didn't believe in big ones)

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As soon as they went inside the pet store, Harry led Sev to the checkout.

"Hello, I'm Nigel. A lady named Susie said that I have to come here when I'm ready," he told the cashier.

"Oh course dear. Susie is right this way." The woman walked through a door behind the counters. Harry and Severus followed her to find themselves in a room that was filled top to bottom with many cages, tanks, and other places in which animals were kept. An African American girl was standing by a cage with two small white ferrets, giving them food.

"Susie? This is Nigel. He's come back with his father," the first woman said, and walked out of the room.

"Hey there Ni, ready to get your new friends?" said Susie in a mock baby voice.

"Yup, but don't tell my dad yet, he doesn't know what it is. I want it to be a surprise!" Harry jogged to the back of the room, looking around at all the cages, looking.

"Oh it'll be a surprise alright," muttered Susie darkly.

"Here they are!" Harry yelled about half way down the row. He was bouncing up and down and pointing with his finger to a cage above his head, waiting for Sev to come and look. Severus cast a questioning look at the young woman, and walked over to his 'son'. He stared at the cage Harry was pointing to, and gave a small gasp.

"These are the ones? Right here? Not the ones right next to it?" Severus looked at Harry with a note of panic in his voice.

"Yep, those are the ones!"

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This is one long chapter. Not counting the A/Ns, it's exactly 2,500 words long. Easily the longest so far. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed. I'm really trying to make up for your wait.

~Miki

Preview of next chapter:

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"Lils? Come on! Fay and I are waiting... 


	11. Not the Best Way to Travel

****

NOTE: I would like to point out that only Sirius escaped. Remus is still in Azkaban. I would like to say that Harry knows his father's name because Severus has told him. He did not tell him, any

details, so Harry only knew the name. No, he did not remember it from before. As someone pointed out, he was only 15 months old. But, he is capable of living a double life in my story. I know that it's not exactly realistic, but to him, Nigel is a sort of nickname if you will. Hope that answers questions.

Hahaha!! No one guessed

Inside the cage were three dogs. Three sleeping dogs. Their fur was perfect for withstanding cold weather, and was pure white to match the whitest of snows. The closest one to the bars was white all over, not a speck of other color. The one next to it was white as well, but there was the lightest of gray all four of its paws, making it look as though it had run through light smoke and some of it stayed on. The last was exactly like the first: not a speck of other color. As one, the three dogs opened their eyes and stood. Their identical deep blue eyes shone slightly, as they looked first at Sev, then at Harry. These dogs were big: each reaching Severus' knees. You could see that they were still young, so they would become much bigger. Their bodies were packed with muscle, ready to run, fight, or anything else that came their way. The three seemed to work as a team. When one moved, so did the others. They were loyal. You could see it in their eyes. These were the kind of dogs who would give their life for their master. 

"These are the ones," said Harry, looking up at Sev to catch his reaction.

"These dogs are…wild," Sev said weakly.

"They have been here since they were a few weeks old, everyone seems too intimidated to take them in," said Susie sadly.

"Imagine that."

"Well, Sev? Can we please get them? Please?" Harry's eyes went big and shone with silent pleading. Unbeknownst to Harry, Sev had taken a liking of the monsters.

"They will stay with you."

"Yes"

"They will not bother me."

"No."

"I will have to take no part in taking care of them."

"You won't."

"It'll make you happy."

"YES!!!"

"We'll take the monsters," Severus smiled inwardly at the reaction he was about to get from Harry. Though he didn't admit it to anyone, he thoroughly enjoyed making the child happy.

"Ooh!! Thank you thank you thank you thank you!! You're the best! I knew you'd love them Sev. Now I just need to figure out their names. Did you know that they are triplets? They're just like George and Fred, except there's three of them and one is a bit different. I promise I'll take real good care of them. Wait till I tell everyone!" Severus walked back into the main part of the store, and told Susie to hold the dogs for a few more minutes while they shopped a little more.

__

What am I getting into? I just love creating more madness for myself don't I?

****

Well think of it this way, now he'll always have someone to play with, and the dogs will protect him.

__

You're right. This is going to be great. And since he promised to take care of them, I won't have to do much with them.

****

Harry is very responsible for his age isn't he?

In the dog section of the store, Severus chose many chew toys that looked extra strong. He would of course put an unbreakable charm on everything in their chambers when they got back, but the dogs should have something to tear at all the same. He then bought a small bag of dog food. The house elves could create more of this is they have an example. Then he and Harry picked out three identical collars, white of course, and suspended on each of them, there was a golden circle on which they would later engrave their names with magic. After some thought, Harry grabbed a book on dog care and showed it to Sev who gladly added it to their purchases. The rest of the things that they would need could be easily created with magic or gotten from somewhere else, so they headed to the register for the second time that day.

When the dogs were shut in three separate crates, Severus motioned Harry to follow and quickly strode out of the store and into an alley next to it.

"Damn it these dogs are heavy," Sev said at he shrunk all their items, and put a charm on the crates to make them feather-light. 

One of the dogs did not appreciate the sudden wave of magic, and started to bark madly. When Sev tried to do a silencing charm, the dog fell silent, but the others became frightened, and started to whine. Harry found this all extremely amusing, and began to laugh. 

Severus then silenced all four of them, and made his way to the Leaky Cauldron. Going to the fireplace, he gave Harry one of the dogs and sent him through. The boy seemed to be worried about something, but could not say a thing under the influence of the silencing charm. Severus shrugged it off, and stepped into the fire. Instantly he realized what had troubled Harry. They two dogs were terrified of the fire around them, and were thrashing around in the confined space, trying to escape the flames. They seemed ignorant to the fact that the fire was not burning them. Twice the crates almost fell out of Sev' hands from the thrashing of the 'puppy' inside. Between trying to hold on to his load, and making sure he had everything, Severus barely had the time or breath to gasp out "Hogwarts, Snape Rooms". The fire completely surrounded them, and the dogs were even more terrified than ever. For a moment Severus wondered how in the world Harry was to make it to his destination in one piece. Suddenly, the fire chucked Severus out next to Harry and the other dog, nowhere near Hogwarts. In fact, it was probably not even in Britain.

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Harry stood up and looked around. Everything around him looked as though it has been ripped to shreds by an adult version of his new pets. The windows were boarded up, and vaguely reminded him of the Shrieking Shack that stood near Hogsmeade village, except this place was much smaller. There was a tiny couch, probably not even big enough for two adults to squeeze on to. The door was hanging off its hinges, leaving an open view of the jungle-like out doors. Most things were covered with a two-inch layer of dust, and the only other furniture besides the couch was a small table, with the remnants of a chair near by.

The dog that Harry had been carrying started to make small noises as the charm slowly wore off. This was the pup with the smoke-like coloring on its feet. When Harry set the crate down, the pup became even more restless and started to literarily bounce off the walls. The small crate was obviously not designed for so much activity. A few ferrets or a dozen hamsters maybe, or even a small poodle, but not this dog. After a few moments, it stood still, rose to full height, and shrugged the crate away, making the walls fall in their respective directions. Harry now stood, the dog almost coming way above his waist, and onyx eyes met blue ones. At that moment, Severus, alone, came hurtling out of the fireplace looking very shaken.

"Harry, you're here. Where are we? Are you all right? Why is that dog out of it's cage?" questions came out of Sev's mouth, panic clearly shown in his features.

"I don't know, yes, it just got out," Harry replied, also very scared.

"I have no idea what happened, why we are here, or where the other two dogs are, but we're both together, and that's always good. Right?"

"Sev, did you hear that? Harry asked, and looked at the door. The dog, Sev noticed, was doing the same. For a moment, Sev could not hear a thing, but then, both Harry and the dog winced, and Severus heard the tiniest of cracks, announcing the presence of some one. _Now why did they hear it before me, the dog I understand, but Harry?_

"Lils? Come on! Fay and I are waiting. It's her birthday we have to celebrate!" a voice came a short while later. Sev took a second to put two and two together, and then sharply drew his wand and closed off the entrance to the hut so that they could not be seen or heard.

__

How in the world did we get here? This place is supposed to be unreachable! Maybe Dumbledore opened the Floo network to allow people in and out for a short while. But what am I supposed to say to Harry?

****

Um…the truth maybe?

__

I wasn't talking to you!

****

Of course you were, you were talking to yourself, and so that means that you were talking to me. See, it's all quite simple. Now about all of this…

__

We have to get out of here it's that easy. I have an emergency portkey, and I can use that to get us back.

****

I'd really like to see you try and get past the wards.

__

Well that just means that we have to sneak into wherever they are residing, and portkey from inside. That way we'll be free of the wards.

****

Just keep telling yourself that, and maybe one of these days, your plan will work.

__

Oh shut up!

"Harry?"

"What is it?"

"I have something really important to tell you, so pay very close attention alright?"

"If you say so."

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Ohh SUCH a good place. But anyway. I know this isn't as long as I planned it would be (this is 1567 words), but it's not bad. Thank you so much for those who have reviewed, and I promise not to keep you waiting. 

~Miki

Preview of next chapter: 

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Sev took a very deep breath and began. "Harry your family is alive all of it. Your mother, father, and twin sister…


	12. New Roommate

Harry looked over at his guardian questioningly. "Does it have anything to do with the voices I heard?"

"Yes. You see Harry, I did not want to talk to you about this until you are older than four, but what with what's going on, you need to know as soon as possible," Sev took a very deep breath and began. "Harry your family is alive all of it. Your mother, father, and twin sister are somewhere within a mile from our location. They have been here the entire time."

"Then why did they leave me? Don't they want me no more?" Harry's eyes started to water a bit.

"I'm afraid Harry that that is half the truth. Albus" here Harry scowled "may say otherwise, but that is more or less it. There could have been ways around this, so don't listen to anyone who says that it was the only way. The point is Harry, Dumbledore got it into his head that your twin Faylese is powerful. The amount of truth in this is unknown, but the headmaster was a Gryffindor, so, naturally, jumped to a conclusion. They had left you with me purely because they thought, or more Dumbledore thought, that you would just get in the way of Fay's training. They were planning to re enter your life the day that you started Hogwarts."

"Why though? Is Fay…my sister really that powerful?" Harry's eyes were unfocused.

"I don't have the answer to that. The choice of whether or not you will accept your parents when they come is yours. What we have to do now, is leave this place as soon as possible."

"I don't want to stay here more we have to. My parents didn't want me, and you did. That makes you my family, and not them."

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I feel horrible. In truth I didn't want him either at first.

"The only way of getting back would be to use my emergency portkey, and that would only work in the place where your relations live, meaning that we would have to make it that far without being seen. Remember I told you about wards on Hogwarts that don't let anyone apperate of dissaperate? The same ones are here as well."

"So we can do that, I'm good at this stuff!" Harry was now bouncy as ever again.

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Ah the joy of being a toddler.

"It's not this easy, the portkey takes five minutes to get ready, and the same amount would equal to over a day here. This is one of the reasons that Albus chose this place. For every minute that passes in the real world, six hours pass here. People still age according to normal time though. If they didn't, your sister would have been grown up by now."

"Great! This gives us time to train my dog, and plan what I can do when we get back! Fred and George are coming soon you know!"

Sev smirked, and tapped the small stone in his pocket with his wand. A blue light started to spread in slow motion. They had exactly thirty hours.

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"What are you going to name that dog Harry?" Sev asked as he surveyed the room.

"I think Kaden is a good name. It means warrior, and this guy sure looks like one don't you think so? It can be Kade for short."

"I think that it's a great name. Now, before we do something with this dog, we're going to have to clean up a bit. You can't even sit down in here."

With a flick of his wrist, the room enlarged a bit, though it was still small. The dust was gone, as were the bugs and spider webs. Half the floor was then covered with a thick green carpet, and the other was cleared of things. In a corner there stood an old stove. The thing was entirely black, and impossibly dirty. No matter what spell Sev tried, nothing worked. He gave up for the moment and levitated the table near by, extending it to fit more things. The broken chair was fixed and a copy of it was made. On the other side of the room stood two beds with green bedding. The sofa was transfigured into a large armchair, and the fireplace had a fire burning with in. 

"I was never too good with food, so we might as well clean that stove and find something to cook," said Sev thoughtfully. "Why don't you pick up any odds and ends, and I'll start on the stove?"

"Alright. _Then_ can we play with Kade?" asked Harry.

Sev eyed the puppy that was now chewing at the carpet, and did not answer. He chuckled for a moment at the thought of taming it, before continuing to attempt cleaning the stove. It looked more like he was waging a full-scale war against it and it seemed as if the stove were winning.

Harry looked over his shoulder. "Want some help?"

Severus shrugged kicking the stove once for good measure as it tried to bite him. 

Harry chided gently giving a dirty glare to the uncooperative stove.

"You'd think it didn't want to be cleaned," he muttered under his breath and moved over to where Snape was standing practically cursing the stove now.

It wasn't all that late, but the stove was starting to irritate him. He had once again been attempting to get the stove to cooperate without much luck. Harry let out a small giggle when Sev threw his wand down in frustration.

"What's so funny?" Sev placed his hands on his hips, eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"You," the boy shrugged in return, clearly not intimidated by the imposing glint in the taller man's eyes.

"Me? How so?"

"You got beaten by a stove," Harry snickered again turning back to the table and began to wipe it between laughter attacks. With a final glare first at Harry and then at the stove, the Potions Master conjured up a plate of very bad sandwiches, grimacing at the taste when he took a bite. Harry ate his without complaint, he knew better than to criticize Snape's food when he was in a horrible mood as it was.

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"How are we going to teach him Sev?" Harry was sitting on the edge of one of the beds, looking at the exited Kade. Severus stopped pacing.

"I suppose we can always try the 'scold if they get it wrong, praise if they do it right' technique. Though I'm not sure that this one will take well to scolding," he added in an afterthought.

"Well what's the easiest thing?" asked Harry.

"Sit."

The dog looked at Severus for a very long moment. Then it shifted its eyes to Harry, and it's expression seemed to say 'Yeah, I'm just going to sit. How fun *cough cough*' Severus seemed to be thinking along the same lines, and took a shrunken pack of dog treats from his pocket. When he enlarged them, the dogs attitude changed instantly. (A/N this is not like the dog is talking, it's just that sometimes you can almost tell what the dog is saying by looking it in the eyes, so this is just that.) 'Food? Food for me?' it's eyes seemed to say. 'Please food. See, I'm a good doggy. I'll even obey your dumb commands. My food?' Kade sat down on the floor, sat for a moment, leaped up, and started to bang her tail against a wall. (A/N Kade is a girl.) Harry laughed, and grabbed a treat from the bag Sev was holding. 

"Come," said Harry.

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Please, the dog can't even manage to sit, and he want it to come to him.

Kade eyed the treat, then looked at Harry, and without a further though bounded right over to the child, nearly knocking him off of his feet in the process. After making sure that Harry was treat free, Kaden ran in circles around the small room, occasionally letting out a small bark at various items. When she reached the bed, Kade first sniffed the smaller one. She then ran back over to Harry and sniffed him. Next she went and smelled the other bed, finding no specific smell. (well duh, only Harry has sat or even touched his bed) Looking around again, Kade barked, and climbed on top of the bigger bed, ripping the covers to shreds in the process. Severus watched as his new roommate destroyed his bed.

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She and Harry'll get along JUST fine.

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I'm REALLY REALLY SORRY FOR THE DELAY!!!!

There we go, another chapter. Not too big, but alright all the same. Keep reviewing, and I hope to get something interesting in the next chapter.

~Miki

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	13. Going Out

Harry, Sev and Kade cautiously stepped out of the small hut, and took in their surroundings. The Potions Master was thoughtful enough to put a silencing charm on both Harry and the dog, keeping them quiet and unnoticed, and also doing miracles fro his headache.

Mostly the place consisted of forest and not much else at all. On the right, Sev could hear the sound of running water, most likely a stream. Knowing Dumbledore, he knew that the Potters would reside in a castle, or something of that sort. How could the great James Potter, beautiful Lily, and Talented Fay possibly survive without the luxuries of seven unused bedrooms? Lost in thought, it took Sev a while to see Harry waving his arms around frantically, trying to get his attention. There were people coming this way.

"I wanna play in the cabin Daddy. I wanna! I never get to do fun stuff," the whiny childish voice sounded as though the two people involved had had this conversation many times before.

"I told you Fay, that place isn't safe. Professor Dumbledore said to stay away," replied the tired voice of the girl's father.

"I don't care. I want to play there. Dumledor isn't here now, and he's not gonna come here now, and so we can play there," the child Sev assumed to be Fay insisted.

"We can't play in there sweetie, I'm sorry. Tell you what. How about we just go there and you can see how boring it is in there."

"Fine! But I'm gonna tell Mommy, so there."

Sev's eyes widened. This place isn't big; there can't be more than one run down hut. If the crunching of dead leaves was anything to go by, James and Fay were close. But a voice in his head kept nagging him.

_Would it really be that bad to just go out there and say, 'Hi, we're here, hope you don't mind us being here for a day. We promise to get off your vacation spot as soon as possible.'?_

Hey, I'm really really sorry for the 3 month long wait. I'm never good at anything during the summer. I promise that I'll update a few times a week now though. I also know that this chapter is horribly short, but there are two reasons. First, I just wanted to get this out ASAP so that you all know I'm not dropping this. And two, I need your help. Should Sev and Harry go to the Potters, should they hide but before the 30 hours is up somehow accidentally meet them, or should they hide, and succeed at not being seen and going back home? Thanks.

Miki


	14. Snaps, Snakes and Sisters

"Harry, I need you to run," Severus looked around wildly, for once forgetting his mask. Strict orders from Dumbledore were bound in the most secure way, the old man making sure that he gets what he wants in the end.

"Why do I hafta run?" Harry said, still half engrossed with a flower which was growing by the path.

"What have I told you about listening child? Now go, I am not going to waste time repeating myself. Make sure that you don't hide by ridiculously standing still and hoping no one would notice."

_Honestly, thank Merlin that wizarding children develop faster. I pity the Muggles that have to take care of a small idiotic demon way past the time this one will smarten up._

Not using up more time and risking the possibility of angering his 'father' any further, Harry scampered off into the depth of the forest. Though he really didn't see any point as to why he should hide (no one was even playing hide and seek!), it wasn't smart to annoy a Snape after they're already testy. Still, however, curiosity won the better of his almost-about-to-be-five mind, and the child crept back to a brush not too far away from the path. From here, he could see and hear most of what was going on.

Severus composed himself as soon as he saw Harry run into the midst of trees. There was more to be heard now.

"But Daddy! I want to go and fly, don't want to do any work. I bet ya no other peoples have to do stuff when it's almost their special days," whined the small, yet shrill voice of Fayleese.

"I've told you honey," replied a slightly tired voice, "Your mum and I want you to grow up as strong and smart as you possibly could be, and so you need to practice. Uncle Albus is commig by later on and don't you want his to be proud of you for wanting to learn?"

"Uuuuh, daddy, you don't get it. What fun is having a wand if all you ever do is wave it? It is not fair, and I don't wanna sit in a room with Uncle Albus anymore, it's boring. It's so boring that I wanna turn him into a candy so he can be happy and not teach me anymore."

"Hold on a second sweetie, there's someone standing up in the road," said James, suddenly more alert. "Who's there!"

"Merlin Potter, must you yell so?" drawled Sev, sneer firm in place.

"Snape. What the hell are you doing here. No one but Dumbledore has a way of getting here," James didn't lower his wand. "And what in the world are you thinking, bringing that animal here? Look at the size of it, it's bigger than my Fay."

"Always ready to accuse, as always, aren't you _Potter_?" Snape's eyes briefly flickered off to the side, his entire body tensing up when he saw that his charge was still around.

"I don't believe I want my daughter to see extreme acts of violence, which is the only reason that you are still standing, so Slimeball, why don't you tell me why you're here and then hightail it out of here?"

Harry watched with amusement while he saw a messy raven haired man with hazel eyes and a dirty auburn headed girl with matching eyes walk up the path. Laughing, he imagined what would happen to his if he were to talk that way in front of Severus. His attention, however, soon wavered since watching your dog growl at strangers is only mildly interesting compared to the stuff you find around yourself. Seeing Sev look his way, Harry waved and started moving away, and deeper into the woods. A few meters away, there was a clearing, for which the boy was quite grateful.

_It's kinda nice here, no thorns, no bushes, no yelling…_

Looking around, Harry noted that there was a small black snake sleeping soundly on a sunbathed rock. Coming a bit closer, Harry reached out his hand and was about to touch the snake, when it woke and tried to snap at the boy.

**Who are you, you bloody human to wake me up and try to attack me? No tact I tell you, no brains either. Here I am just minding my own business, but NO, I have to be woken up. Do you know how long it takes to fall asleep around here?**

**No.**

**Of course you don't, so why don't you just….did you just speak?**

**I think so. Well I know I can talk. Sev understands me, so I guess I can.**

**No child, I meant you could talk to me.**

**What's the difference?**

**I'm a SNAKE! Or are you by any chance blind. That would explain a lot, like you being rude and all that.**

**I don't think I'm blind. Doesn't blind mean that you can't see? I can see. I can see that you're black and you have yellow eyes and a pretty purple stripe on you. So I can see.**

**You talk too much child. **

At that moment, both whipped around, startled by a noise coming from behind them. Unlike Harry, someone was not all too good at being quiet.

"Is there anyone there? Cuz I heard something, and if you're here and mummy and daddy don't know about it then you're gonna be in a lot of trouble," Harry recognized the voice of the small and bossy girl. Though he was told by Sev to not let anyone see him, there really wasn't that much time to hide.

"It's me you heard. Hello," the boy said slowly.

"Well maybe you shouldn't be so loud! I could hear you all over the place. It was giving me a migraine, it was. And I am Fay, but you should know that."

"Well sorry Fay, but what's a migraine?" Harry's heard Sev use the word before but never understood.

"You're dumb, and cuz you're dumb I wont tell you."

**She doesn't know, stupid child. **muttered the snake before falling back into slumber.

"Anyway, you're a _boy_, and I don't wanna talk to one, cuz boys are weird." With the little one left, but not before she dropped a maple colored piece of wood behind.

Harry , forgetting Fay, moved over to where the girl was to take a closer look. The small stick which she dropped now turned to a pure white, with a little silver band in the middle of it. Cautiously Harry touched the silver band, jumping back from the small shock he got. Looking at his finger, the boy saw that there was a little cut and some blood was still coming out. Sniffing a bit with unshed tears from the slight pain, he looked back at the offending object, and saw that instead of white, or maple as he saw with the girl, the stick had turned to a deep oak color. Taking the piece of wood, he tossed it from hand to hand, laughing at the way first silver then green and then blue sparks flew from it on ever throw.

After a few minutes of play, he looked back at the snake sleeping on a rock, and after a muttered bye, went back to find his Sev.

Ok, I'm BACK! It's been a year and four days since I last wrote, but I'm back. I'm going to sign off a kyamh, and eventually change my name to that, but since people know me as this I shall not yet. Thank you all for the updates. I promise there will be more this week.

Kyamh


	15. A Very Adult Sort of Way

**NOTE: This is becomming waaay too common. When they all flooed to the place, the other two dogs were lost. If you reread the part you will note that Severus came tumbling out ALONE. Neither really mentions the fact that they are gone because Harry's a kid and has a short attention span and Sev kinda has bigger problems. The two others will later come into the story...truthfully I wanted all three in there, but it would have been chaos for me to try to write with three dogs being there in that situation, so they will come later.**

* * *

Pocketing the small stick, Harry cautiously crept back through the bushes. Personally, he thought that he was making completely too much noise, but the two feuding adults could not hear anything aside from their argument. Silently congratulating himself on not being caught, Harry sat down and peered through a crack in the leaves. Severus and the dark haired man were standing ten feet apart, and in a very adult sort of way, were yelling at the top of their lungs. The small boy smiled and chuckled at seeing his guardian so loud and emotional. His charmed onyx eyes glistened in the sun and occasionally the deep emerald green of his eyes shined through.

A bit further off Fay was running around a tree, apparently not noticing that she was getting no where. Kaden looked up and sniffed the air, noting the fact that Harry was back. She softly padded over and dropped down by the bush Harry was hiding in.

"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR ANY MORE OF YOUR SHIT SNIVEL!" James roared for what was just about the fiftieth time.

"I AM NOT THE ONE TALKIG WITH NO REASON, YOU ARROGANT JACKASS! HOW DARE YOU INSULT MY LINE WHEN YOU'VE GOT NOTHING TO BRAG ABOUT YOURSELF?" was the response.

"AT LEAST MY BLOOD MANAGED TO PRODUCE A FUTURE HERO AND ALL YOURS HAS ACCOMPLISHED IS TO HAVE A SUCCESSFUL LINE OF DEATH EATERS."

"A LOT YOU KNOW. I DON'T SEE WHY THE HELL LILY MARRIED SOMEONE WITH YOUR BRAIN CAPASITY, THE ONLY THINGS YOU KNOW HOW TO DO IS PLAY CATCH ON AN OLD BROOM AND CREATE LIVING HELL FOR THOSE AROUND YOU!"

Fay finally got bored of running in circles and started to toss pebbles in the air, most of which hit James.

"DAMNIT SNAPE, JUST GET OUT OF MY HIDEAWAY, MY SWEET INNOCENT DAUGHTER," please stop that sweetie, it's starting to hurt a little, "SHOULD NOT HAVE TO LISTEN TO A SLIMY IDIOTIC SNAKE SUCH AS YOURSELF!"

"Oh, but I was good enough to entrust your son to?" Sev's voice came back down to a tone he normally saved for the first years.

It seemed to take James forever to comprehend what his rival just said.

_I can not believe that that arrogant moron already forgot about his son._

The Potions Master took the elder Potter's moment of hesitation to scan around for a sign of Harry. He though that he had seen something near by, but the dog had obscured a lot of the view. Thinking back to the last few years, Severus was amazed that he had gotten as far as he had. The small baby boy he was entrusted with grew fast and into one intelligent being. Though barely through his fourth year of life, he had an understanding most don't have until they are six in the very least. It wasn't as if he didn't let Harry be a kid, on the contrary, Severus encouraged every minute during which Harry was off playing and out of his hair. Looking back at his charge's twin, for a second doubted the choice made by the headmaster about the kids, but those thoughts were squished quite sufficiently while he watched Faylese levitate bigger and bigger rocks at will and chuck them at her father. Speaking of the father, Sev noted that the man had yet to answer his question. A soft chime was going off in the distance.

"That would be Dumbledore coming, Snake. Why don't we ask him why you have graced me with your presence," with a last scowl, James turned around and headed back the other way, Fay running up ahead.

Harry looked out onto the path, and shivered a bit. He had never seen his Sev that angry and loud before. Even back last year when he constantly kept coming in and ruining his potions, the Professor was not nearly this upset. The two quarreling men did not keep the toddler's interest for long, and she scampered off to find himself a bit of clean dirt. Finding a spot, the child scrawled out with shaky letters: Harry was here. He admired his handy work and proceeded to leave small and pointless messages on the ground. He could read now, and he felt very, VERY accomplished. Early in the mornings, when there was nothing to do, the child would wander about the castle with Eli, his house elf, and stop by the library to tell his Aunt Irma about all the new words he knew and how he could pick up a book and read some of them to her. Harry frowned when the yelling stopped, and moved back to his hiding spot to investigate. On the other side of the path he could see the auburn headed girl chucking small stones at her father. He smiled a bit and waved to her. Not seeing him, the small girl ran ahead of her father, though with an annoyed look on her face and muttering about how she wanted to be half way around the world. Harry looked from the two retreating figures, to Sev, to Kaden, and deemed it alright to stop being sneaky.

"Hey Sev, you can yell really loudly. Am I that loud when you tell me I'm loud?" Harry didn't wait for an answer and continued mumbling to himself about how loudly he really spoke.

Severus checked his watch and saw that there were still hours until the portkey was ready, not nearly fast enough for them to get away, and James was on his way to tell Dumbledore everything.

"Harry," he said, half addressing the small child, "what are we going to do? Albus will not be pleasant to talk to after this." The older man sighed.

"Well why can't we just go to Uncle Al and ask his to get us otta here?"

"Child, we are not supposed to be here, we can't go to him."

"So why can't we hide and sneak in and get a key out. They have to have some, I mean, who would wanna be stuck here for ever?"

"And how are we going to accomplish that?" Said Severus, still lost in his own thoughts.

"Magic," stated Harry simply, and went back to playing with his chin length hair.

The Potions Professor looked at a child in wonder and then berated himself for being shown up by a child.

_You know, for a four-year-old he's very intelligent._

**You know that wizarding children are more advanced until they go to school. How else do you think we get along without sending the kids to Primary school?**

_No, but he's REALLY smart._

**So maybe you have a point, but that doesn't mean anything.**

_Just keep telling yourself that._

The pair took off down the same way the Potters had gone previously, Kade following in their wake. As soon as they had rounded the corner, Severus and Harry could see a pure white, there was no there word for it, castle. Possibly even more extravagant than the Malfoy Manor, if Sev's opinion it was completely over the top for a couple and their toddler. The entire population of Hogsmeade could have fit into the grounds the building itself covered. However there was also a lake, a muggle pool, a Quidditch pitch, and a small forest on the grounds.

"Hey Sev, if this the home of a king? Cause I read about them. There was a king and he wanted to have the best clothing ever and then he ended up walking around naked, but I don't know why cause I didn't' have time to read everything because it was time for lunch and so I read the beginning and had Auntie Irma read the very end, because she can read faster and better than me."

Not listening to Harry's ranting, Severus took a few steps closer to the castle and watched James and Fay come closer to the door, dreading the moment James opens his mouth in front of Dumbledore.

Hey everyone...I told you I'd update this week, and here it is...or there it was anyway. I thank my reviewers!

Kyamh (who used to be Miki)


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